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Han JC, Rasmussen MC, Forte AR, Schrage SB, Zafar SK, Haqq AM. Management of Monogenic and Syndromic Obesity. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 2023; 52:733-750. [PMID: 37919024 DOI: 10.1016/j.gtc.2023.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Similar to the general population, lifestyle interventions focused on nutrition and physical activity form the foundation for treating obesity caused by rare genetic disorders. Additional therapies, including metreleptin and setmelanotide, that target defects within the leptin signaling pathway can effectively synergize with lifestyle efforts to treat monogenic disorders of leptin, leptin receptor, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) and syndromic conditions, such as the ciliopathies Bardet-Biedl and Alström syndromes, whose pathophysiological mechanisms also converge on the leptin pathway. Investigational treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome target specific defects caused by reduced expression of paternally derived genes within the chromosome 15q region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan C Han
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Marcus C Rasmussen
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alison R Forte
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephanie B Schrage
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah K Zafar
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrea M Haqq
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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2
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László K, Vörös D, Correia P, Fazekas CL, Török B, Plangár I, Zelena D. Vasopressin as Possible Treatment Option in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2603. [PMID: 37892977 PMCID: PMC10603886 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rather common, presenting with prevalent early problems in social communication and accompanied by repetitive behavior. As vasopressin was implicated not only in salt-water homeostasis and stress-axis regulation, but also in social behavior, its role in the development of ASD might be suggested. In this review, we summarized a wide range of problems associated with ASD to which vasopressin might contribute, from social skills to communication, motor function problems, autonomous nervous system alterations as well as sleep disturbances, and altered sensory information processing. Beside functional connections between vasopressin and ASD, we draw attention to the anatomical background, highlighting several brain areas, including the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, medial preoptic area, lateral septum, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, amygdala, hippocampus, olfactory bulb and even the cerebellum, either producing vasopressin or containing vasopressinergic receptors (presumably V1a). Sex differences in the vasopressinergic system might underline the male prevalence of ASD. Moreover, vasopressin might contribute to the effectiveness of available off-label therapies as well as serve as a possible target for intervention. In this sense, vasopressin, but paradoxically also V1a receptor antagonist, were found to be effective in some clinical trials. We concluded that although vasopressin might be an effective candidate for ASD treatment, we might assume that only a subgroup (e.g., with stress-axis disturbances), a certain sex (most probably males) and a certain brain area (targeting by means of virus vectors) would benefit from this therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristóf László
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Dávid Vörös
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Pedro Correia
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csilla Lea Fazekas
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Imola Plangár
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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3
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Woodson J, Bergan JF. Uncovering the brain-wide pattern of synaptic input to vasopressin-expressing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:1017-1031. [PMID: 37121600 PMCID: PMC10566340 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide critical for the mammalian stress response and social behavior. AVP produced in the hypothalamus regulates water osmolality and vasoconstriction in the body, and in the brain, it regulates social behavior, aggression, and anxiety. However, the circuit mechanisms that link AVP to social behavior, homeostatic function, and disease are not well understood. This study investigates the circuit configurations of AVP-expressing neurons in the rodent hypothalamus and characterizes synaptic input from the entire brain. We targeted the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) using retrograde viral tracing techniques to identify direct afferent synaptic connections made onto AVP-expressing neurons. AVP neurons in the PVN display region-specific anatomical configurations that reflect their unique contributions to homeostatic function, motor behaviors, feeding, and affiliative behavior. The afferent connections identified were similar in both sexes and subsequent molecular investigation of these inputs shows that those local hypothalamic inputs are overwhelmingly nonpeptidergic cells indicating a potential interneuron nexus between hormone cell activation and broader cortical connection. This proposed work reveals new insights into the organization of social behavior circuits in the brain, and how neuropeptides act centrally to modulate social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Woodson
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph F Bergan
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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Cymerblit-Sabba A, Walsh C, Duan KZ, Song J, Holmes O, Young WS. Simultaneous Knockouts of the Oxytocin and Vasopressin 1b Receptors in Hippocampal CA2 Impair Social Memory. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.30.526271. [PMID: 36789441 PMCID: PMC9928026 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.30.526271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are two neuropeptides with many central actions related to social cognition. The oxytocin (Oxtr) and vasopressin 1b (Avpr1b) receptors are co-expressed in the pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal subfield CA2 and are known to play a critical role in social memory formation. How the neuropeptides perform this function in this region is not fully understood. Here, we report the behavioral effects of a life-long conditional removal (knockout, KO) of either the Oxtr alone or both Avpr1b and Oxtr from the pyramidal neurons of CA2 as well as the resultant changes in synaptic transmission within the different fields of the hippocampus. Surprisingly, the removal of both receptors results in mice that are unable to habituate to a familiar female presented for short duration over short intervals but are able to recognize and discriminate females when presented for a longer duration over a longer interval. Importantly, these double KO mice were unable to discriminate between a male littermate and a novel male. Synaptic transmission between CA3 and CA2 is enhanced in these mice, suggesting a compensatory mechanism is activated to make up for the loss of the receptors. Overall, our results demonstrate that co-expression of the receptors in CA2 is necessary to allow intact social memory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Cymerblit-Sabba
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Caroline Walsh
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kai-Zheng Duan
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - June Song
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Oliver Holmes
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - W Scott Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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5
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Bous J, Fouillen A, Orcel H, Granier S, Bron P, Mouillac B. Structures of the arginine-vasopressin and oxytocin receptor signaling complexes. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2023; 123:67-107. [PMID: 37718002 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) are neurohypophysial hormones which share a high sequence and structure homology. These are two cyclic C-terminally amidated nonapeptides with different residues at position 3 and 8. In mammals, AVP and OT exert their multiple biological functions through a specific G protein-coupled receptor family: four receptors are identified, the V1a, V1b, V2 receptors (V1aR, V1bR and V2R) and the OT receptor (OTR). The chemical structure of AVP and OT was elucidated in the early 1950s. Thanks to X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, it took however 70 additional years to determine the three-dimensional structures of the OTR and the V2R in complex with their natural agonist ligands and with different signaling partners, G proteins and β-arrestins. Today, the comparison of the different AVP/OT receptor structures gives structural insights into their orthosteric ligand binding pocket, their molecular mechanisms of activation, and their interfaces with canonical Gs, Gq and β-arrestin proteins. It also paves the way to future rational drug design and therapeutic compound development. Indeed, agonist, antagonist, biased agonist, or pharmacological chaperone analogues of AVP and OT are promising candidates to regulate different physiological functions and treat several pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Bous
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France; CBS (Centre de Biologie Structurale), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Aurélien Fouillen
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France; CBS (Centre de Biologie Structurale), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Hélène Orcel
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Sébastien Granier
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Patrick Bron
- CBS (Centre de Biologie Structurale), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Bernard Mouillac
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France.
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How Relevant is the Systemic Oxytocin Concentration for Human Sexual Behavior? A Systematic Review. Sex Med 2021; 9:100370. [PMID: 34118520 PMCID: PMC8360917 DOI: 10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite its role in social cognition and affiliative behavior, less is known about the role played by oxytocin in human sexual behavior. Aim In the present systematic review, we aimed to find the levels of oxytocin related to human sexual arousal and orgasm. Methods We conducted the study according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We performed a systematic search in the principal databases for studies that reported collection of salivary or plasmatic samples, with dosage of oxytocin in relation to sexual activity during induction of sexual arousal and orgasm. Results 414 articles were obtained. After duplicates removal and the application of pre exclusion criteria, 16 articles were considered eligible and 13 articles were included with a Cohen's k of 0.827. Most of the studies used sexual self-stimulation and collected plasmatic or salivary samples to measure oxytocin. The sexual arousal and orgasm were assessed based on subjective reports. Main Outcome Measure The primary outcomes were the oxytocin levels collected during the induction of sexual arousal and orgasm. Conclusions Several studies collected only subjective reports about the sexual arousal and the orgasm. Most of the studies found higher levels of oxytocin during the orgasm or ejaculation. Given the sexual arousal evoked by self-stimulation in which sexual fantasies play an important role, it should be possible to postulate for a role of the oxytocin in sexual desire. In particular, we hypothesize a complex role of the oxytocin in the modulation of sexual fantasies and thoughts that are relevant in the sexual desire and help to trigger genital and sexual arousal. Cera N, Vargas-Cáceres S, Oliveira C, et al. How Relevant is the Systemic Oxytocin Concentration for Human Sexual Behavior? A Systematic Review. Sex Med 2021;9:100370.
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Abstract
Oxytocin regulates parturition, lactation, parental nurturing, and many other social behaviors in both sexes. The circuit mechanisms by which oxytocin modulates social behavior are receiving increasing attention. Here, we review recent studies on oxytocin modulation of neural circuit function and social behavior, largely enabled by new methods of monitoring and manipulating oxytocin or oxytocin receptor neurons in vivo. These studies indicate that oxytocin can enhance the salience of social stimuli and increase signal-to-noise ratios by modulating spiking and synaptic plasticity in the context of circuits and networks. We highlight oxytocin effects on social behavior in nontraditional organisms such as prairie voles and discuss opportunities to enhance the utility of these organisms for studying circuit-level modulation of social behaviors. We then discuss recent insights into oxytocin neuron activity during social interactions. We conclude by discussing some of the major questions and opportunities in the field ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Departments of Otolaryngology and Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.,Center for Social Neural Networks, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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8
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Rae M, Lemos Duarte M, Gomes I, Camarini R, Devi LA. Oxytocin and vasopressin: Signalling, behavioural modulation and potential therapeutic effects. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 179:1544-1564. [PMID: 33817785 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are endogenous ligands for OT and AVP receptors in the brain and in the peripheral system. Several studies demonstrate that OT and AVP have opposite roles in modulating stress, anxiety and social behaviours. Interestingly, both peptides and their receptors exhibit high sequence homology which could account for the biased signalling interaction of the peptides with OT and AVP receptors. However, how and under which conditions this crosstalk occurs in vivo remains unclear. In this review we shed light on the complexity of the roles of OT and AVP, by focusing on their signalling and behavioural differences and exploring the crosstalk between the receptor systems. Moreover, we discuss the potential of OT and AVP receptors as therapeutic targets to treat human disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Rae
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mariana Lemos Duarte
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ivone Gomes
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rosana Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lakshmi A Devi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Hennessy MB, Willen RM, Schiml PA. Psychological Stress, Its Reduction, and Long-Term Consequences: What Studies with Laboratory Animals Might Teach Us about Life in the Dog Shelter. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2061. [PMID: 33171805 PMCID: PMC7694980 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a long history of laboratory studies of the physiological and behavioral effects of stress, its reduction, and the later psychological and behavioral consequences of unmitigated stress responses. Many of the stressors employed in these studies approximate the experience of dogs confined in an animal shelter. We review how the laboratory literature has guided our own work in describing the reactions of dogs to shelter housing and in helping formulate means of reducing their stress responses. Consistent with the social buffering literature in other species, human interaction has emerged as a key ingredient in moderating glucocorticoid stress responses of shelter dogs. We discuss variables that appear critical for effective use of human interaction procedures in the shelter as well as potential neural mechanisms underlying the glucocorticoid-reducing effect. We also describe recent studies in which enrichment centered on human interaction has been found to reduce aggressive responses in a temperament test used to determine suitability for adoption. Finally, we suggest that a critical aspect of the laboratory stress literature that has been underappreciated in studying shelter dogs is evidence for long-term behavioral consequences-often mediated by glucocorticoids-that may not become apparent until well after initial stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patricia A. Schiml
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA;
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10
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Zhang Y, Zhu D, Zhang P, Li W, Qin W, Liu F, Xu J, Xu Q, Wang J, Ye Z, Yu C. Neural mechanisms of AVPR1A RS3-RS1 haplotypes that impact verbal learning and memory. Neuroimage 2020; 222:117283. [PMID: 32828928 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Converging evidence from both human and animal studies has highlighted the pervasive role of the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP), which is mediated by arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A), in both social and nonsocial learning and memory. However, the effect of genetic variants in AVPR1A on verbal learning and memory is unknown. The hippocampus is a heterogeneous structure that consists of several anatomically and functionally distinct subfields, and it is the principal target structure for the memory-enhancing effect of AVP. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants in the RS3 and RS1 repeat polymorphisms may influence verbal learning and memory performance evaluated by the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) by modulating the gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of whole hippocampus and its subfields in a large cohort of young healthy subjects (n = 1001). Using a short/long classification scheme for the repeat length of RS3 and RS1, we found that the individuals carrying more short alleles of RS3-RS1 haplotypes had poorer learning and memory performance compared to that of those carrying more long alleles. We also revealed that individuals carrying more short alleles exhibited a significantly smaller GMV in the left cornu ammonis (CA)2/3 and weaker rsFC of the left CA2/3-bilateral thalamic (primarily in medial prefrontal subfields) compared to those carrying more long alleles. Furthermore, multiple mediation analysis confirmed that these two hippocampal imaging measures jointly and fully mediated the relationship between the genetic variants in AVPR1A RS3-RS1 haplotypes and the individual differences in verbal learning and memory performance. Our results suggest that genetic variants in AVPR1A RS3-RS1 haplotypes may affect verbal learning and memory performance in part by modulating the left hippocampal CA2/3 structure and its rsFC with the thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Dan Zhu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Huanhuxi Road, Hexi District, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Huanhuxi Road, Hexi District, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Jiayuan Xu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Junping Wang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China.
| | - Zhaoxiang Ye
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Huanhuxi Road, Hexi District, Tianjin 300060, China.
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154, Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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11
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Tan Q, Orsso CE, Deehan EC, Triador L, Field CJ, Tun HM, Han JC, Müller TD, Haqq AM. Current and emerging therapies for managing hyperphagia and obesity in Prader-Willi syndrome: A narrative review. Obes Rev 2020; 21:e12992. [PMID: 31889409 DOI: 10.1111/obr.12992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In early childhood, individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) experience excess weight gain and severe hyperphagia with food compulsivity, which often leads to early onset morbid obesity. Effective treatments for appetite suppression and weight control are currently unavailable for PWS. Our aim to further understand the pathogenesis of PWS led us to carry out a comprehensive search of the current and emerging therapies for managing hyperphagia and extreme weight gain in PWS. A literature search was performed using PubMed and the following keywords: "PWS" AND "therapy" OR "[drug name]"; reference lists, pharmaceutical websites, and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry were also reviewed. Articles presenting data from current standard treatments in PWS and also clinical trials of pharmacological agents in the pipeline were selected. Current standard treatments include dietary restriction/modifications, exercise, and growth hormone replacement, which appear to have limited efficacy for appetite and weight control in patients with PWS. The long-term safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery in PWS remains unknown. However, many promising pharmacotherapies are in development and, if approved, will bring much needed choices into the PWS pharmacological armamentarium. With the progress that is currently being made in our understanding of PWS, an effective treatment may not be far off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiming Tan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Camila E Orsso
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Edward C Deehan
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Lucila Triador
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Catherine J Field
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hein Min Tun
- HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Joan C Han
- Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Children's Foundation Research Institute, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Timo D Müller
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapy, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Eberhard Karls University Hospitals and Clinics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea M Haqq
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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12
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Nanoplastics Cause Neurobehavioral Impairments, Reproductive and Oxidative Damages, and Biomarker Responses in Zebrafish: Throwing up Alarms of Wide Spread Health Risk of Exposure. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041410. [PMID: 32093039 PMCID: PMC7073134 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a growing global emergency and it could serve as a geological indicator of the Anthropocene era. Microplastics are potentially more hazardous than macroplastics, as the former can permeate biological membranes. The toxicity of microplastic exposure on humans and aquatic organisms has been documented, but the toxicity and behavioral changes of nanoplastics (NPs) in mammals are scarce. In spite of their small size, nanoplastics have an enormous surface area, which bears the potential to bind even bigger amounts of toxic compounds in comparison to microplastics. Here, we used polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) (diameter size at ~70 nm) to investigate the neurobehavioral alterations, tissue distribution, accumulation, and specific health risk of nanoplastics in adult zebrafish. The results demonstrated that PS-NPs accumulated in gonads, intestine, liver, and brain with a tissue distribution pattern that was greatly dependent on the size and shape of the NPs particle. Importantly, an analysis of multiple behavior endpoints and different biochemical biomarkers evidenced that PS-NPs exposure induced disturbance of lipid and energy metabolism as well as oxidative stress and tissue accumulation. Pronounced behavior alterations in their locomotion activity, aggressiveness, shoal formation, and predator avoidance behavior were exhibited by the high concentration of the PS-NPs group, along with the dysregulated circadian rhythm locomotion activity after its chronic exposure. Moreover, several important neurotransmitter biomarkers for neurotoxicity investigation were significantly altered after one week of PS-NPs exposure and these significant changes may indicate the potential toxicity from PS-NPs exposure. In addition, after ~1-month incubation, the fluorescence spectroscopy results revealed the accumulation and distribution of PS-NPs across zebrafish tissues, especially in gonads, which would possibly further affect fish reproductive function. Overall, our results provided new evidence for the adverse consequences of PS-NPs-induced behavioral dysregulation and changes at the molecular level that eventually reduce the survival fitness of zebrafish in the ecosystem.
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13
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Shrivastava A, Srivastava S, Malik R, Alam MM, Shaqiquzamman M, Akhter M. Identification of novel small molecule non-peptidomimetic inhibitor for prolyl oligopeptidase through in silico and in vitro approaches. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019; 38:1292-1305. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1602078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Apeksha Shrivastava
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Shubham Srivastava
- Department of Pharmacy School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ruchi Malik
- Department of Pharmacy School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
| | - M. Mumtaz Alam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, New Delhi, India
| | - M. Shaqiquzamman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Mymoona Akhter
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, New Delhi, India
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14
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Acute and long-lasting effects of oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits: consequences for fear recall and extinction. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:339-354. [PMID: 30302511 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5030-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The extinction of conditioned fear responses entrains the formation of safe new memories to decrease those behavioral responses. The knowledge in neuronal mechanisms of extinction is fundamental in the treatment of anxiety and fear disorders. Interestingly, the use of pharmacological compounds that reduce anxiety and fear has been shown as a potent co-adjuvant in extinction therapy. However, the efficiency and mechanisms by which pharmacological compounds promote extinction of fear memories remains still largely unknown and would benefit from a validation based on functional neuronal circuits, and the neurotransmitters that modulate them. From this perspective, oxytocin receptor signaling, which has been shown in cortical and limbic areas to modulate numerous functions (Eliava et al. Neuron 89(6):1291-1304, 2016), among them fear and anxiety circuits, and to enhance the salience of social stimuli (Stoop Neuron 76(1):142-59, 2012), may offer an interesting perspective. Experiments in animals and humans suggest that oxytocin could be a promising pharmacological agent at adjusting memory consolidation to boost fear extinction. Additionally, it is possible that long-term changes in endogenous oxytocin signaling can also play a role in reducing expression of fear at different brain targets. In this review, we summarize the effects reported for oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits and on fear behavior that are of relevance for the modulation and potential extinction of fear memories.
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15
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Song Z, Albers HE. Cross-talk among oxytocin and arginine-vasopressin receptors: Relevance for basic and clinical studies of the brain and periphery. Front Neuroendocrinol 2018; 51:14-24. [PMID: 29054552 PMCID: PMC5906207 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) act in the brain to regulate social cognition/social behavior and in the periphery to influence a variety of physiological processes. Although the chemical structures of OT and AVP as well as their receptors are quite similar, OT and AVP can have distinct or even opposing actions. Here, we review the increasing body of evidence that exogenously administered and endogenously released OT and AVP can activate each other's canonical receptors (i.e., cross-talk) and examine the possibility that receptor cross-talk following the synaptic and non-synaptic release of OT and AVP contributes to their distinct roles in the brain and periphery. Understanding the consequences of cross-talk between OT and AVP receptors will be important in identifying how these peptides control social cognition and behavior and for the development of drugs to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Song
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
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16
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Grinevich V, Stoop R. Interplay between Oxytocin and Sensory Systems in the Orchestration of Socio-Emotional Behaviors. Neuron 2018; 99:887-904. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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17
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Madlon-Kay S, Montague MJ, Brent LJN, Ellis S, Zhong B, Snyder-Mackler N, Horvath JE, Skene JHP, Platt ML. Weak effects of common genetic variation in oxytocin and vasopressin receptor genes on rhesus macaque social behavior. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22873. [PMID: 29931777 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) influence pair bonding, attachment, and sociality, as well as anxiety and stress responses in humans and other mammals. The effects of these peptides are mediated by genetic variability in their associated receptors, OXTR and the AVPR gene family. However, the role of these genes in regulating social behaviors in non-human primates is not well understood. To address this question, we examined whether genetic variation in the OT receptor gene OXTR and the AVP receptor genes AVPR1A and AVPR1B influence naturally-occurring social behavior in free-ranging rhesus macaques-gregarious primates that share many features of their biology and social behavior with humans. We assessed rates of social behavior across 3,250 hr of observational behavioral data from 201 free-ranging rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago island in Puerto Rico, and used genetic sequence data to identify 25 OXTR, AVPR1A, and AVPR1B single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the population. We used an animal model to estimate the effects of 12 SNVs (n = 3 OXTR; n = 5 AVPR1A; n = 4 AVPR1B) on rates of grooming, approaches, passive contact, contact aggression, and non-contact aggression, given and received. Though we found evidence for modest heritability of these behaviors, estimates of effect sizes of the selected SNVs were close to zero, indicating that common OXTR and AVPR variation contributed little to social behavior in these animals. Our results are consistent with recent findings in human genetics that the effects of individual common genetic variants on complex phenotypes are generally small.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Madlon-Kay
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon
| | - Samuel Ellis
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon
| | - Brian Zhong
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Julie E Horvath
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina.,North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Department of Marketing, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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18
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Putnam PT, Young LJ, Gothard KM. Bridging the gap between rodents and humans: The role of non-human primates in oxytocin research. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22756. [PMID: 29923206 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide that acts in the brain as a neuromodulator, has been long known to shape maternal physiology and behavior in mammals, however its role in regulating social cognition and behavior in primates has come to the forefront only in the recent decade. Many of the current perspectives on the role of OT in modulating social behavior emerged first from studies in rodents, where invasive techniques with a high degree of precision have permitted the mechanistic dissection of OT-related behaviors, as well as their underlying neural circuits in exquisite detail. In parallel, behavioral and imaging studies in humans have suggested that brain OT may similarly influence human social behavior and neural activity. These studies in rodents and humans have spurred interest in the therapeutic potential of targeting the OT system to remedy deficits in social cognition and behavior that are present across numerous psychiatric disorders. Yet there remains a tremendous gap in our mechanistic understanding of the influence of brain OT on social neural circuitry between rodents and man. In fact, very little is known regarding the neural mechanisms by which exogenous or endogenous OT influences human social cognition, limiting its therapeutic potential. Here we discuss how non-human primates (NHPs) are uniquely positioned to now bridge the gaps in knowledge provided by the precise circuit-level approaches widely used in rodent models and the behavioral, imaging, and clinical studies in humans. This review provides a perspective on what has been achieved, and what can be expected from exploring the role of OT in shaping social behaviors in NHPs in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip T Putnam
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia
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19
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Ziegler TE. Measuring peripheral oxytocin and vasopressin in nonhuman primates. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22871. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Toni E. Ziegler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center; University of Wisconsin; Madison Wisconsin
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20
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Tomaszycki ML, Atchley D. Pairing Increases Activation of V1aR, but not OTR, in Auditory Regions of Zebra Finches: The Importance of Signal Modality in Nonapeptide-Social Behavior Relationships. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:878-890. [PMID: 28992311 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social relationships are complex, involving the production and comprehension of signals, individual recognition, and close coordination of behavior between two or more individuals. The nonapeptides oxytocin and vasopressin are widely believed to regulate social relationships. These findings come largely from prairie voles, in which nonapeptide receptors in olfactory neural circuits drive pair bonding. This research is assumed to apply to all species. Previous reviews have offered two competing hypotheses. The work of Sarah Newman has implicated a common neural network across species, the Social Behavior Network. In contrast, others have suggested that there are signal modality-specific networks that regulate social behavior. Our research focuses on evaluating these two competing hypotheses in the zebra finch, a species that relies heavily on vocal/auditory signals for communication, specifically the neural circuits underlying singing in males and song perception in females. We have demonstrated that the quality of vocal interactions is highly important for the formation of long-term monogamous bonds in zebra finches. Qualitative evidence at first suggests that nonapeptide receptor distributions are very different between monogamous rodents (olfactory species) and monogamous birds (vocal/auditory species). However, we have demonstrated that social bonding behaviors are not only correlated with activation of nonapeptide receptors in vocal and auditory circuits, but also involve regions of the common Social Behavior Network. Here, we show increased Vasopressin 1a receptor, but not oxytocin receptor, activation in two auditory regions following formation of a pair bond. To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest a role of nonapeptides in the auditory circuit in pair bonding. Thus, we highlight converging mechanisms of social relationships and also point to the importance of studying multiple species to understand mechanisms of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L Tomaszycki
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA
| | - Derek Atchley
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
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21
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Palmitoylation as a Functional Regulator of Neurotransmitter Receptors. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:5701348. [PMID: 29849559 PMCID: PMC5903346 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5701348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of neuronal proteins involved in cellular signaling undergo different posttranslational modifications significantly affecting their functions. One of these modifications is a covalent attachment of a 16-C palmitic acid to one or more cysteine residues (S-palmitoylation) within the target protein. Palmitoylation is a reversible modification, and repeated cycles of palmitoylation/depalmitoylation might be critically involved in the regulation of multiple signaling processes. Palmitoylation also represents a common posttranslational modification of the neurotransmitter receptors, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ligand-gated ion channels (LICs). From the functional point of view, palmitoylation affects a wide span of neurotransmitter receptors activities including their trafficking, sorting, stability, residence lifetime at the cell surface, endocytosis, recycling, and synaptic clustering. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the palmitoylation of neurotransmitter receptors and its role in the regulation of receptors functions as well as in the control of different kinds of physiological and pathological behavior.
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22
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Fam BS, Paré P, Felkl AB, Vargas-Pinilla P, Paixão-Côrtes VR, Viscardi LH, Bortolini MC. Oxytocin and arginine vasopressin systems in the domestication process. Genet Mol Biol 2018; 41:235-242. [PMID: 29668014 PMCID: PMC5913714 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2017-0069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Domestication is of unquestionable importance to the technological revolution that has given rise to modern human societies. In this study, we analyzed the DNA and protein sequences of six genes of the oxytocin and arginine vasopressin systems (OXT-OXTR; AVP-AVPR1a, AVPR1b and AVPR2) in 40 placental mammals. These systems play an important role in the control of physiology and behavior. According to our analyses, neutrality does not explain the pattern of molecular evolution found in some of these genes. We observed specific sites under positive selection in AVPR1b (ω = 1.429, p = 0.001) and AVPR2 (ω= 1.49, p = 0.001), suggesting that they could be involved in behavior and physiological changes, including those related to the domestication process. Furthermore, AVPR1a, which plays a role in social behavior, is under relaxed selective constraint in domesticated species. These results provide new insights into the nature of the domestication process and its impact on the OXT-AVP system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana S.O. Fam
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Pamela Paré
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Aline B. Felkl
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Pedro Vargas-Pinilla
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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23
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Pedersen CA. Oxytocin, Tolerance, and the Dark Side of Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2017; 136:239-274. [PMID: 29056153 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Substance use disorders blight the lives of millions of people and inflict a heavy financial burden on society. There is a compelling need for new pharmacological treatments as current drugs have limited efficacy and other major drawbacks. A substantial number of animal and recent clinical studies indicate that the neuropeptide, oxytocin, is a particularly promising therapeutic agent for human addictions, especially alcohol use disorders. In preliminary trials, we found that oxytocin administered by the intranasal route, which produces some neuropeptide penetration into the CNS, potently blocked withdrawal and reduced alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. A considerable body of earlier animal studies demonstrated that oxytocin inhibits tolerance to alcohol, opioids, and stimulants as well as withdrawal from alcohol and opioids. Based on these preclinical findings and our clinical results, we hypothesize that oxytocin may exert therapeutic effects in substance dependence by the novel mechanism of diminishing established tolerance. A newer wave of studies has almost unanimously found that oxytocin decreases self-administration of a number of addictive substances in several animal models of addiction. Reduction of established tolerance should be included among the potential explanations of oxytocin effects in these studies and changes in tolerance should be examined in future studies in relationship to oxytocin influences on acquisition and reinstatement of self-administration as well as extinction of drug seeking. Oxytocin efficacy in reducing anxiety and stress responses as well as established tolerance suggests it may be uniquely effective in reducing negative reinforcement (Koob's "dark side" of addiction) that maintains chronic substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cort A Pedersen
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
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24
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Estrela FN, Rabelo LM, Vaz BG, de Oliveira Costa DR, Pereira I, de Lima Rodrigues AS, Malafaia G. Short-term social memory deficits in adult female mice exposed to tannery effluent and possible mechanism of action. CHEMOSPHERE 2017; 184:148-158. [PMID: 28586655 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.05.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The accumulated organic residues in tannery-plant courtyards are an eating attraction to small rodents; however, the contact of these animals with these residues may change their social behavior. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate whether the exposure to tannery effluent (TE) can damage the social recognition memory of female Swiss mice, as well as to assess whether vitamin C supplementation could provide information about how TE constituents can damage these animals' memory. We have observed that resident females exposed to TE (without vitamin supplementation) did not explore the anogenital region, their body or chased intruding females for shorter time or with lower frequency during the retest session of the social recognition test, fact that indicates social recognition memory deficit in these animals. Such finding is reinforced by the confirmation that there was no change in the animals' olfactory function during the buried food test, or locomotor changes in females exposed to the pollutant. Since no behavioral change was observed in the females exposed to TE and treated with vitamin C (before or after the exposure), it is possible saying that these social cognitive impairments seem to be directly related to the imbalance between the cellular production of reactive oxygen species and the counteracting antioxidant mechanisms (oxidative stress) in female mice exposed to the pollutant (without vitamin supplementation). Therefore, the present study evidences that the direct contact with tannery effluent, even for a short period-of-time, may cause short-term social memory deficits in adult female Swiss mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Neves Estrela
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Biológicas, Instituto Federal Goiano - Campus Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Letícia Martins Rabelo
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Biológicas, Instituto Federal Goiano - Campus Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Boniek Gontijo Vaz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás - Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | | | - Igor Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás - Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Aline Sueli de Lima Rodrigues
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Conservação de Recursos Naturais do Cerrado, Instituto Federal Goiano - Campus Urutaí, GO, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Malafaia
- Laboratório de Pesquisas Biológicas, Instituto Federal Goiano - Campus Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Conservação de Recursos Naturais do Cerrado, Instituto Federal Goiano - Campus Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Goiás - Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
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25
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Elkins EA, Walti KA, Newberry KE, Lema SC. Identification of an oxytocinase/vasopressinase-like leucyl-cystinyl aminopeptidase (LNPEP) in teleost fish and evidence for hypothalamic mRNA expression linked to behavioral social status. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 250:58-69. [PMID: 28596078 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The vasotocin/vasopressin and isotocin/mesotocin/oxytocin family of nonapeptides regulate social behaviors and physiological functions associated with reproductive physiology and osmotic balance. While experimental and correlative studies provide evidence for these nonapeptides as modulators of behavior across all classes of vertebrates, mechanisms for nonapeptide inactivation in regulating these functions have been largely overlooked. Leucyl-cystinyl aminopeptidase (LNPEP) - also known as vasopressinase, oxytocinase, placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP), and insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) - is a membrane-bound zinc-dependent metalloexopeptidase enzyme that inactivates vasopressin, oxytocin, and select other cyclic polypeptides. In humans, LNPEP plays a key role in the clearance of oxytocin during pregnancy. However, the evolutionary diversity, expression distribution, and functional roles of LNPEP remain unresolved for other vertebrates. Here, we isolated and sequenced a full-length cDNA encoding a LNPEP-like polypeptide of 1033 amino acids from the ovarian tissue of Amargosa pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis. This deduced polypeptide exhibited high amino acid identity to human LNPEP both in the protein's active domain that includes the peptide binding site and zinc cofactor binding motif (53.1% identity), and in an intracellular region that distinguishes LNPEP from other aminopeptidases (70.3% identity). Transcripts encoding this LNPEP enzyme (lnpep) were detected at highest relative abundance in the gonads, hypothalamus, forebrain, optic tectum, gill and skeletal muscle of adult pupfish. Further evaluation of lnpep transcript abundance in the brain of sexually-mature pupfish revealed that lnpep mRNAs were elevated in the hypothalamus of socially subordinate females and males, and at lower abundance in the telencephalon of socially dominant males compared to dominant females. These findings provide evidence of an association between behavioral social status and hypothalamic lnpep transcript abundance and suggest that variation in the rate of VT/IT peptide inactivation by LNPEP may be a contributing component in the mechanism whereby nonapeptides regulate social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma A Elkins
- Biological Sciences Department, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Kayla A Walti
- Biological Sciences Department, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Kathryn E Newberry
- Biological Sciences Department, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Sean C Lema
- Biological Sciences Department, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
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26
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Okuyama T, Yokoi S, Takeuchi H. Molecular basis of social competence in medaka fish. Dev Growth Differ 2017; 59:211-218. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Teruhiro Okuyama
- RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory; Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Cambridge MA 02139 USA
| | - Saori Yokoi
- Laboratory of Bioresources; National Institute for Basic Biology; Nishigonaka 38 Myodaiji Okazaki 444-8585 Aichi Japan
| | - Hideaki Takeuchi
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology; Okayama University; Tsushimanaka 3-1-1 Kita-ku Okayama-shi Okayama 700-8530 Japan
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Current findings on the role of oxytocin in the regulation of food intake. Physiol Behav 2017; 176:31-39. [PMID: 28284882 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In the face of the alarming prevalence of obesity and its associated metabolic impairments, it is of high basic and clinical interest to reach a complete understanding of the central nervous pathways that establish metabolic control. In recent years, the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin, which is primarily known for its involvement in psychosocial processes and reproductive behavior, has received increasing attention as a modulator of metabolic function. Oxytocin administration to the brain of normal-weight animals, but also animals with diet-induced or genetically engineered obesity reduces food intake and body weight, and can also increase energy expenditure. Up to now, only a handful of studies in humans have investigated oxytocin's contribution to the regulation of eating behavior. Relying on the intranasal pathway of oxytocin administration, which is a non-invasive strategy to target central nervous oxytocin receptors, these experiments have yielded some promising first results. In normal-weight and obese individuals, intranasal oxytocin acutely limits meal intake and the consumption of palatable snacks. It is still unclear to which extent - or if at all - such metabolic effects of oxytocin in humans are conveyed or modulated by oxytocin's impact on cognitive processes, in particular on psychosocial function. We shortly summarize the current literature on oxytocin's involvement in food intake and metabolic control, ponder potential links to social and cognitive processes, and address future perspectives as well as limitations of oxytocin administration in experimental and clinical contexts.
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Freeman SM, Young LJ. Comparative Perspectives on Oxytocin and Vasopressin Receptor Research in Rodents and Primates: Translational Implications. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28. [PMID: 26940141 PMCID: PMC4886472 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In the last several decades, sophisticated experimental techniques have been used to determine the neurobiology of the oxytocin and vasopressin systems in rodents. Using a suite of methodologies, including electrophysiology, site-specific selective pharmacology, receptor autoradiography, in vivo microdialysis, and genetic and optogenetic manipulations, we have gained unprecedented knowledge about how these neuropeptides engage neural circuits to regulate behaviour, particularly social behaviour. Based on this foundation of information from rodent studies, we have started generating new hypotheses and frameworks about how the oxytocin and vasopressin systems could be acting in humans to influence social cognition. However, despite the recent inundation of publications using intranasal oxytocin in humans, we still know very little about the neurophysiology of the oxytocin system in primates more broadly. Furthermore, the design and analysis of these human studies have remained largely uninformed of the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying their findings. Although the methods available for studying the oxytocin and vasopressin systems in humans are incredibly limited as a result of practical and ethical considerations, there is great potential to fill the gaps in our knowledge by developing better nonhuman primate models of social functioning. Behavioural pharmacology and receptor autoradiography have been used to study the oxytocin and vasopressin systems in nonhuman primates, and there is now great potential to broaden our understanding of the neurobiology of these systems. In this review, we discuss comparative findings in receptor distributions in rodents and primates, with perspectives on the functionality of conserved regions of expression in these distinct mammalian clades. We also identify specific ways that established technologies can be used to answer basic research questions in primates. Finally, we highlight areas of future research in nonhuman primates that are experimentally poised to yield critical insights into the anatomy, physiology and behavioural effects of the oxytocin system, given its remarkable translational potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Freeman
- Department of Psychology, California National Primate Research Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Plasma and CSF oxytocin levels after intranasal and intravenous oxytocin in awake macaques. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 66:185-94. [PMID: 26826355 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide that mediates a variety of complex social behaviors in animals and humans. Intranasal OT has been used as an experimental therapeutic for human conditions characterized by deficits in social functioning, especially autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. However, it is currently under intense debate whether intranasal delivery of OT reaches the central nervous system. In this study, four female rhesus macaques were implanted with chronic intrathecal catheters and used to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of OT in the central nervous system and the peripheral vasculature following intravenous (IV) and intranasal (IN) administration of OT. In a randomized, crossover design, OT was given to four awake monkeys at three different doses based on body weight (0.1 IU/kg; 1 IU/kg; 5 IU/kg). A time course of concurrent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples were taken following administration. We found a dose-dependent effect of IV OT treatment on plasma OT levels, which peaked at 5 min post-dose and gradually returned to baseline by 120 min. In contrast, a change in CSF OT was only observed at the highest IV dose (5 IU/kg) at 15 min post-dose and gradually returned to baseline by 120 min. After IN administration, there was no significant change in plasma OT at any of the three doses. However, at the highest dose level, we found a significant increase in CSF OT at 15-30 min post- dose. The results of this study in light of recent, similar publications highlight the importance of methodological consistency across studies. This study also establishes a non-human primate model that can provide a stable platform for carrying out serial sampling from the central nervous system and peripheral vasculature concurrently.
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The two fold role of oxytocin in social developmental disorders: A cause and a remedy? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 63:168-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Revised: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Freeman SM, Smith AL, Goodman MM, Bales KL. Selective localization of oxytocin receptors and vasopressin 1a receptors in the human brainstem. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:113-123. [PMID: 26911439 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1156570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Intranasal oxytocin (OT) affects a suite of human social behaviors, including trust, eye contact, and emotion recognition. However, it is unclear where oxytocin receptors (OXTR) and the structurally related vasopressin 1a receptors (AVPR1a) are expressed in the human brain. We have previously described a reliable, pharmacologically informed receptor autoradiography protocol for visualizing these receptors in postmortem primate brain tissue. We used this technique in human brainstem tissue to identify the neural targets of OT and vasopressin. To determine binding selectivity of the OXTR radioligand and AVPR1a radioligand, sections were incubated in four conditions: radioligand alone, radioligand with the selective AVPR1a competitor SR49059, and radioligand with a low or high concentration of the selective OXTR competitor ALS-II-69. We found selective OXTR binding in the spinal trigeminal nucleus, a conserved region of OXTR expression in all primate species investigated to date. We found selective AVPR1a binding in the nucleus prepositus, an area implicated in eye gaze stabilization. The tissue's postmortem interval (PMI) was not correlated with either the specific or nonspecific binding of either radioligand, indicating that it will not likely be a factor in similar postmortem studies. This study provides critical data for future studies of OXTR and AVPR1a in human brain tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Freeman
- a California National Primate Research Center , University of California-Davis , Davis , CA , USA
| | - Aaron L Smith
- b Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center , Emory University , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Mark M Goodman
- c Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Center for Systems Imaging , Emory University , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- d Department of Psychology , University of California-Davis , Davis , CA , USA
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Abstract
Over the last decade, oxytocin (OT) has received focus in numerous studies associating intranasal administration of this peptide with various aspects of human social behavior. These studies in humans are inspired by animal research, especially in rodents, showing that central manipulations of the OT system affect behavioral phenotypes related to social cognition, including parental behavior, social bonding, and individual recognition. Taken together, these studies in humans appear to provide compelling, but sometimes bewildering, evidence for the role of OT in influencing a vast array of complex social cognitive processes in humans. In this article, we investigate to what extent the human intranasal OT literature lends support to the hypothesis that intranasal OT consistently influences a wide spectrum of social behavior in humans. We do this by considering statistical features of studies within this field, including factors like statistical power, prestudy odds, and bias. Our conclusion is that intranasal OT studies are generally underpowered and that there is a high probability that most of the published intranasal OT findings do not represent true effects. Thus, the remarkable reports that intranasal OT influences a large number of human social behaviors should be viewed with healthy skepticism, and we make recommendations to improve the reliability of human OT studies in the future.
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Garcia AN, Depena CK, Yin W, Gore AC. Testing the critical window of estradiol replacement on gene expression of vasopressin, oxytocin, and their receptors, in the hypothalamus of aging female rats. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 419:102-12. [PMID: 26454088 PMCID: PMC4684429 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Revised: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The current study tested the "critical window" hypothesis of menopause that postulates that the timing and duration of hormone treatment determine their potential outcomes. Our focus was genes in the rat hypothalamus involved in social and affiliative behaviors that change with aging and/or estradiol (E2): Avp, Avpr1a, Oxt, Oxtr, and Esr2 in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON). Rats were reproductively mature or aging adults, ovariectomized, given E2 or vehicle treatment of different durations, with or without a post-ovariectomy delay. Our hypothesis was that age-related changes in gene expression are mitigated by E2 treatments. Contrary to this, PVN Oxtr increased with E2, and Avpr1a increased with age. In the SON, Avpr1a increased with age, Oxtr with age and timing, and Avp was altered by duration. Thus, chronological age and E2 have independent actions on gene expression, with the "critical window" hypothesis supported by the observed timing and duration effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra N Garcia
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Christina K Depena
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Weiling Yin
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Oldfield RG, Harris RM, Hofmann HA. Integrating resource defence theory with a neural nonapeptide pathway to explain territory-based mating systems. Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S16. [PMID: 26813803 PMCID: PMC4722349 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The ultimate-level factors that drive the evolution of mating systems have been well studied, but an evolutionarily conserved neural mechanism involved in shaping behaviour and social organization across species has remained elusive. Here, we review studies that have investigated the role of neural arginine vasopressin (AVP), vasotocin (AVT), and their receptor V1a in mediating variation in territorial behaviour. First, we discuss how aggression and territoriality are a function of population density in an inverted-U relationship according to resource defence theory, and how territoriality influences some mating systems. Next, we find that neural AVP, AVT, and V1a expression, especially in one particular neural circuit involving the lateral septum of the forebrain, are associated with territorial behaviour in males of diverse species, most likely due to their role in enhancing social cognition. Then we review studies that examined multiple species and find that neural AVP, AVT, and V1a expression is associated with territory size in mammals and fishes. Because territoriality plays an important role in shaping mating systems in many species, we present the idea that neural AVP, AVT, and V1a expression that is selected to mediate territory size may also influence the evolution of different mating systems. Future research that interprets proximate-level neuro-molecular mechanisms in the context of ultimate-level ecological theory may provide deep insight into the brain-behaviour relationships that underlie the diversity of social organization and mating systems seen across the animal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald G Oldfield
- Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341 USA; Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA; Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Rayna M Harris
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
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Lema SC, Sanders KE, Walti KA. Arginine vasotocin, isotocin and nonapeptide receptor gene expression link to social status and aggression in sex-dependent patterns. J Neuroendocrinol 2015; 27:142-57. [PMID: 25425529 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Nonapeptide hormones of the vasopressin/oxytocin family regulate social behaviours. In mammals and birds, variation in behaviour also is linked to expression patterns of the V1a-type receptor and the oxytocin/mesotocin receptor in the brain. Genome duplications, however, expand the diversity of nonapeptide receptors in actinopterygian fishes, and two distinct V1a-type receptors (v1a1 and v1a2) for vasotocin, as well as at least two V2-type receptors (v2a and v2b), have been identified in these taxa. The present study investigates how aggression connected to social status relates to the abundance patterns of gene transcripts encoding four vasotocin receptors, an isotocin receptor (itr), pro-vasotocin (proVT) and pro-isotocin (proIT) in the brain of the pupfish Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae. Sexually-mature pupfish were maintained in mixed-sex social groups and assessed for individual variation in aggressive behaviours. Males in these groups behaved more aggressively than females, and larger fish exhibited higher aggression relative to smaller fish of the same sex. Hypothalamic proVT transcript abundance was elevated in dominant males compared to subordinate males, and correlated positively with individual variation in aggression in both social classes. Transcripts encoding vasotocin receptor v1a1 were at higher levels in the telencephalon and hypothalamus of socially subordinate males than dominant males. Dominant males exhibited elevated hypothalamic v1a2 receptor transcript abundance relative to subordinate males and females, and telencephalic v1a2 mRNA abundance in dominant males was also associated positively with individual aggressiveness. Transcripts in the telencephalon encoding itr were elevated in females relative to males, and both telencephalic proIT and hypothalamic itr transcript abundance varied with female social status. Taken together, these data link hypothalamic proVT expression to aggression and implicate forebrain expression of the V1a-type receptor v1a2 as potentially mediating the effects of vasotocin on behaviour in male fish. These findings also illustrate how associations between social status, aggression and gene expression within the VT and IT nonapeptide systems can be contingent on behavioural context.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Lema
- Biological Sciences Department, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
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Haram M, Tesli M, Dieset I, Steen NE, Røssberg JI, Djurovic S, Andreassen OA, Melle I. An attempt to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms contributing to possible relationships between personality traits and oxytocin-related genes. Neuropsychobiology 2015; 69:25-30. [PMID: 24458227 DOI: 10.1159/000356965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin play a central role in social behavior. Trials with intranasal oxytocin have been conducted and many indicate that the hormone facilitates affiliative behavior and trust. Intranasal oxytocin administration is suggested as a treatment option for psychiatric illnesses with altered sociability as a core symptom and the effects may be due to differences in variants of oxytocin- and vasopressin-related genes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the endogenous oxytocin system by exploring the relationship between variants in the oxytocin gene factors and personality traits closely related to trust, anxiety and social behavior. METHODS 72 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes coding for oxytocin (OXT), vasopressin (AVP), the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and CD38 (CD38), including polymorphisms reported earlier to be related to social phenotypes and novel SNPs, were investigated in 196 healthy subjects. Association analysis between these variants and 3 personality traits (agreeableness, neuroticism and extraversion) measured by the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory was performed. RESULTS We found 7 nominally significant associations for personality traits: agreeableness [rs857240 (AVP, p = 0.0075), rs2270463 (OXTR, p = 0.047)], neuroticism [rs3756242 (CD38, p = 0.024), rs13104011 (CD38, p = 0.024), rs6816486 (CD38, p = 0.024), rs7655635 (CD38, p = 0.034)] and extraversion [rs237878 (OXTR, p = 0.019)]. None of these associations remained significant after the Bonferroni correction (p threshold = 2.31 × 10(-4)). CONCLUSION Our results do not contradict the hypothesis of associations between personality traits and oxytocin-related gene variants; however, there are no statistically significant associations after correcting for multiple testing, warranting replication in larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marit Haram
- KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway
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Haensele E, Banting L, Whitley DC, Clark T. Conformation and dynamics of 8-Arg-vasopressin in solution. J Mol Model 2014; 20:2485. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-014-2485-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Francis SM, Sagar A, Levin-Decanini T, Liu W, Carter CS, Jacob S. Oxytocin and vasopressin systems in genetic syndromes and neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain Res 2014; 1580:199-218. [PMID: 24462936 PMCID: PMC4305432 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are two small, related neuropeptide hormones found in many mammalian species, including humans. Dysregulation of these neuropeptides have been associated with changes in behavior, especially social interactions. We review how the OT and AVP systems have been investigated in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), Williams Syndrome (WS) and Fragile X syndrome (FXS). All of these neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are marked by social deficits. While PWS, WS and FXS have identified genetic mutations, ASD stems from multiple genes with complex interactions. Animal models of NDD are invaluable for studying the role and relatedness of OT and AVP in the developing brain. We present data from a FXS mouse model affecting the fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene, resulting in decreased OT and AVP staining cells in some brain regions. Reviewing the research about OT and AVP in these NDD suggests that altered OT pathways may be downstream from different etiological factors and perturbations in development. This has implications for ongoing studies of the therapeutic application of OT in NDD. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin and Social Behav.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Francis
- University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - A Sagar
- University of California at Irvine, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, USA
| | - T Levin-Decanini
- University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - W Liu
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - C S Carter
- University of North Carolina, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - S Jacob
- University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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Modi ME, Connor-Stroud F, Landgraf R, Young LJ, Parr LA. Aerosolized oxytocin increases cerebrospinal fluid oxytocin in rhesus macaques. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 45:49-57. [PMID: 24845176 PMCID: PMC4120060 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Intranasal (IN) administration is a widely used method for examining the effect of oxytocin (OT) on social behavior and cognition in healthy subjects and psychiatric populations. IN-OT in humans enhances trust, emotional perception, and empathetic behavior and is under investigation as a potential pharmacotherapy to enhance social functioning in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Nonhuman primates (NHP) are an important model for understanding the effect of OT on social cognition, its neural mechanisms, and the development of IN-OT as a pharmacotherapy for treating social deficits in humans. However, NHP and even some human populations, such as very young infants and children, cannot easily follow the detailed self-administration protocol used in the majority of human IN-OT studies. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of several OT-administration routes for elevating central OT concentrations in rhesus macaques. First, we examined the effect of IN and intravenous (IV) routes of OT administration on concentrations of OT and vasopressin (AVP) in plasma and lumbar CSF. Second, we examined these same measures in monkeys after an aerosolized (AE) OT delivery route. All three administration routes significantly increased plasma OT concentrations, but only the AE-OT route significantly increased concentrations of CSF OT. No route affected concentrations of AVP in plasma or CSF. This study confirms that the AE route is the most effective method for increasing central OT concentrations in monkeys, and may also be an effective route, alternative to IN, for administering OT to some human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meera E. Modi
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,Corresponding Author: Meera Modi, 700 Main St. Cambridge, MA 02139, Telephone: 617-395-0681,
| | | | | | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Lisa A. Parr
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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Freeman SM, Inoue K, Smith AL, Goodman MM, Young LJ. The neuroanatomical distribution of oxytocin receptor binding and mRNA in the male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 45:128-41. [PMID: 24845184 PMCID: PMC4043226 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is an important primate model for social cognition, and recent studies have begun to explore the impact of oxytocin on social cognition and behavior. Macaques have great potential for elucidating the neural mechanisms by which oxytocin modulates social cognition, which has implications for oxytocin-based pharmacotherapies for psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Previous attempts to localize oxytocin receptors (OXTR) in the rhesus macaque brain have failed due to reduced selectivity of radioligands, which in primates bind to both OXTR and the structurally similar vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1A). We have developed a pharmacologically-informed competitive binding autoradiography protocol that selectively reveals OXTR and AVPR1A binding sites in primate brain sections. Using this protocol, we describe the neuroanatomical distribution of OXTR in the macaque. Finally, we use in situ hybridization to localize OXTR mRNA. Our results demonstrate that OXTR expression in the macaque brain is much more restricted than AVPR1A. OXTR is largely limited to the nucleus basalis of Meynert, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, the superficial gray layer of the superior colliculus, the trapezoid body, and the ventromedial hypothalamus. These regions are involved in a variety of functions relevant to social cognition, including modulating visual attention, processing auditory and multimodal sensory stimuli, and controlling orienting responses to visual stimuli. These results provide insights into the neural mechanisms by which oxytocin modulates social cognition and behavior in this species, which, like humans, uses vision and audition as the primary modalities for social communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Freeman
- Corresponding Author: Sara M. Freeman, Ph.D. California National Primate Research Center- BMB University of California, Davis One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 Telephone: 530.752.1506 Fax: 530.754.8166
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Lukas M, Neumann ID. Social preference and maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in virgin female rats: sex differences in involvement of brain oxytocin and vasopressin. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:101-7. [PMID: 24709115 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Revised: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research concerning non-reproductive sociability in rodents is mainly restricted to assessing the effects of oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) in male rats and mice. Comparable studies on natural social preference and social avoidance in females are substantially lacking. NEW METHOD Here, we adapted a behavioral paradigm for monitoring social preference of female rats consisting of two consecutive exposures to either non-social or social stimuli. Further, to induce stimulus-specific social avoidance, female rats were exposed to a single 10-min maternal defeat by a lactating dam. RESULTS Social preference towards same-sex conspecifics in female rats was shown to be independent of the estrous cycle and even more pronounced than in male rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) application of OXT, AVP, or their selective receptor antagonists or agonists, did not alter naturally-occurring social preference in female rats. Stimulus-specific social avoidance could be induced by prior exposure to a lactating rat: an effect that could not be reversed/overcome by icv OXT. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S) The female social preference paradigm for rats established in this study detected subtle sex differences in social preference behavior of rats. Further, stimulus-specific social deficits could be induced in female rats using an acute exposure to social defeat - as previously observed in male rodents. CONCLUSIONS Female rats show strong social preference behavior, which can be prevented by social defeat, but does not seem to be regulated by the OXT or AVP systems. Accordingly, icv application of synthetic OXT does not reverse maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lukas
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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42
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Fodor A, Zelena D. The effect of maternal stress activation on the offspring during lactation in light of vasopressin. ScientificWorldJournal 2014; 2014:265394. [PMID: 24550698 PMCID: PMC3914454 DOI: 10.1155/2014/265394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is obvious that preconceptional effects as well as stressors during pregnancy profoundly influence the progeny, the lactation period seems to be at least as important. Here we summarize how maternal stressors during the lactation period affect the offspring. As vasopressin is one of the crucial components both for stress adaptation and social behavior, special emphasis was given to this neuropeptide. We can conclude that stressing the mother does not have the same acute effect on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (as the main target of stress adaptation) of the pups as stressing the pups, but later endocrine and behavioral consequences can be similar. Vasopressin plays a role in acute and later consequences of perinatal stressor applied either to the mother or to the offspring, thereby contributing to transmitting the mothers' stress to the progeny. This mother-infant interaction does not necessarily mean a direct transmission of molecules, but rather is the result of programming the brain development through changes in maternal behavior. Thus, there is a time lag between maternal stress and stress-related changes in the offspring. The interactions are bidirectional as not only stress in the dam but also stress in the progeny has an effect on nursing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Fodor
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szigony utca 43, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Üllői utca 26, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szigony utca 43, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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43
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Rilling JK, DeMarco AC, Hackett PD, Chen X, Gautam P, Stair S, Haroon E, Thompson R, Ditzen B, Patel R, Pagnoni G. Sex differences in the neural and behavioral response to intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin during human social interaction. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 39:237-248. [PMID: 24157401 PMCID: PMC3842401 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Revised: 09/03/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Both oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are known to modulate social behavior, and dysfunction in both systems has been postulated as a potential cause of certain psychiatric disorders that involve social behavioral deficits. In particular, there is growing interest in intranasal OT as a potential treatment for certain psychiatric disorders, and preliminary pre-clinical and clinical studies suggest efficacy in alleviating some of the associated symptoms. However, the vast majority of research participants in these studies have been male, and there is evidence for sexually differentiated effects of nonapeptides in both humans and non-human animals. To date, no study has investigated the effect of intranasal OT on brain function in human males and females within the same paradigm. Previously, in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind fMRI study, we reported effects of intranasal OT and AVP on behavior and brain activity of human males as they played an interactive social game known as the Prisoner's Dilemma Game. Here, we present findings from an identical study in human females, and compare these with our findings from males. Overall, we find that both behavioral and neural responses to intranasal OT and AVP are highly sexually differentiated. In women, AVP increased conciliatory behavior, and both OT and AVP caused women to treat computer partners more like humans. In men, AVP increased reciprocation of cooperation from both human and computer partners. However, no specific drug effects on behavior were shared between men and women. During cooperative interactions, both OT and AVP increased brain activity in men within areas rich in OT and AVP receptors and in areas playing a key role in reward, social bonding, arousal and memory (e.g., the striatum, basal forebrain, insula, amygdala and hippocampus), whereas OT and AVP either had no effect or in some cases actually decreased brain activity in these regions in women. OT treatment rendered neural responses of males more similar to responses of females in the placebo group and vice versa, raising the prospect of an inverted u-shaped dose response to central OT levels. These findings emphasize the need to fully characterize the effects of intranasal OT and AVP in both males and females and at multiple doses before widespread clinical application will be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- James K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, United States; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, United States; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, United States; Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, United States.
| | | | | | - Xu Chen
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, United States
| | - Pritam Gautam
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, United States
| | - Sabrina Stair
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, United States
| | - Ebrahim Haroon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, United States
| | | | - Beate Ditzen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, United States; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rajan Patel
- Department of Biostatistics, Emory University, United States
| | - Giuseppe Pagnoni
- Department of Neural, Biomedical, and Metabolic Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
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Adkins-Regan E, Baran NM, Fernandez-Vargas M, McKenna Kelly E, Smiley KO. Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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45
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Lucion AB, Bortolini MC. Mother-pup interactions: rodents and humans. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2014; 5:17. [PMID: 24616713 PMCID: PMC3935307 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to survive after birth, mammalian infants need a caretaker, usually the mother. Several behavioral strategies have evolved to guarantee the transition from a period of intense caregiving to offspring independence. Here, we examine a selection of literature on the genetic, epigenetic, physiological, and behavioral factors relating to development and mother-infant interactions. We intend to show the utility of comparisons between rodent and human models for deepening knowledge regarding this key relationship. Particular attention is paid to the following factors: the distinct developmental stages of the mother-pup relationship as relating to behavior; examples of key genetic components of mammalian mother-infant interactions, specifically those coding for the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin; and the possible functions of gene imprinting in mediating interactions between genetics and environment in the mother-infant relationship. As early mother-infant attachment seems to establish the basic parameters for later social interactions, ongoing investigations in this area are essential. We propose the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in order to better understand the network of genes, gene regulation, neuropeptide action, physiological processes, and feedback loops essential to understand the complex behaviors of mother-infant interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo B. Lucion
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Aldo B. Lucion, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-170, Brazil e-mail:
| | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Silva D, Colvin L, Hagemann E, Bower C. Environmental risk factors by gender associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics 2014; 133:e14-22. [PMID: 24298003 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-1434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early environmental risk factors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been increasingly suggested. Our study investigates the maternal, pregnancy, and newborn risk factors by gender for children prescribed stimulant medication for treatment of ADHD in Western Australia. METHODS This is a population-based, record linkage case-control study. The records of all non-Aboriginal children and adolescents born in Western Australia and aged <25 years who were diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed stimulant medication (cases = 12,991) were linked to the Midwives Notification System (MNS) to obtain maternal, pregnancy, and birth information. The control population of 30,071 children was randomly selected from the MNS. RESULTS Mothers of children with ADHD were significantly more likely to be younger, be single, have smoked in pregnancy, have labor induced, and experience threatened preterm labor, preeclampsia, urinary tract infection in pregnancy, or early term delivery irrespective of the gender of the child, compared with the control group. In the fully adjusted model, a novel finding was of a possible protective effect of oxytocin augmentation in girls. Low birth weight, postterm pregnancy, small for gestational age infant, fetal distress, and low Apgar scores were not identified as risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Smoking in pregnancy, maternal urinary tract infection, being induced, and experiencing threatened preterm labor increase the risk of ADHD, with little gender difference, although oxytocin augmentation of labor appears protective for girls. Early term deliveries marginally increased the risk of ADHD. Studies designed to disentangle possible mechanisms, confounders, or moderators of these risk factors are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiree Silva
- MB, BS, FRACP, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, PO Box 855, West Perth, Western Australia 6872.
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47
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Kormos V, Gaszner B. Role of neuropeptides in anxiety, stress, and depression: from animals to humans. Neuropeptides 2013; 47:401-19. [PMID: 24210138 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Major depression, with its strikingly high prevalence, is the most common cause of disability in communities of Western type, according to data of the World Health Organization. Stress-related mood disorders, besides their deleterious effects on the patient itself, also challenge the healthcare systems with their great social and economic impact. Our knowledge on the neurobiology of these conditions is less than sufficient as exemplified by the high proportion of patients who do not respond to currently available medications targeting monoaminergic systems. The search for new therapeutical strategies became therefore a "hot topic" in neuroscience, and there is a large body of evidence suggesting that brain neuropeptides not only participate is stress physiology, but they may also have clinical relevance. Based on data obtained in animal studies, neuropeptides and their receptors might be targeted by new candidate neuropharmacons with the hope that they will become important and effective tools in the management of stress related mood disorders. In this review, we attempt to summarize the latest evidence obtained using animal models for mood disorders, genetically modified rodent models for anxiety and depression, and we will pay some attention to previously published clinical data on corticotropin releasing factor, urocortin 1, urocortin 2, urocortin 3, arginine-vasopressin, neuropeptide Y, pituitary adenylate-cyclase activating polypeptide, neuropeptide S, oxytocin, substance P and galanin fields of stress research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktória Kormos
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Szigeti u. 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; Molecular Pharmacology Research Group, János Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, Ifjúság útja 20, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Szigeti u. 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary
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48
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Ophir AG, Sorochman G, Evans BL, Prounis GS. Stability and dynamics of forebrain vasopressin receptor and oxytocin receptor during pregnancy in prairie voles. J Neuroendocrinol 2013; 25:719-28. [PMID: 23656585 PMCID: PMC3716852 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Revised: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
During pregnancy, females undergo several physiologically driven changes that facilitate adaptive behaviours and prepare the mother to care for her developing offspring. The nonapeptide hormone oxytocin is best recognised for its involvement in mammalian pregnancy and has been tightly associated with maternal care, in addition to its roles in pregnancy, parturition and lactation. A closely-related nonapeptide hormone, arganine vasopressin, has received considerably less attention for its role in pregnancy, although it has recently been implicated in modulating maternal care and aggression. In the present study, we examined the expression patterns of receptors for oxytocin (OXTR) and vasopressin (V1aR) over the course of pregnancy, ranging from non-mated virgin to immediately postpartum female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Unexpectedly, we found that OXTR was highly stable in all measured structures in the forebrain. V1aR was also stable throughout most of the brain. Two exceptions to this were found in the ventral pallidum (VPall) and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN); both significantly correlated with the length of time that females were pregnant. Changes in the PVN may reflect functional feedback in vasopressin release, or preparatory changes for ensuing maternal behaviour. The results also indicate an unappreciated role for VPall V1aR in pregnancy, which may relate to the function of the VPall in hedonic 'liking' and motivational 'wanting.' Taken together, our data indicate that, with a few compelling exceptions, nonapeptide dynamics during prairie vole pregnancy are largely limited to changes in the synthesis and release of oxytocin and vasopressin, and not the receptors to which they bind.
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Affiliation(s)
- A G Ophir
- Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
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49
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Székely T, Remeš V, Freckleton RP, Liker A. Why care? Inferring the evolution of complex social behaviour. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:1381-91. [PMID: 23663057 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative analyses of complex traits often reduce the traits of interests into a single (or a few) component variables. Here, we show that this may be an over-simplification, because components of a complex trait may evolve independently from each other. Using eight components of parental care in 400 bird species from 89 avian families that represent the relative contribution of male vs. female to a particular type of care, we show that some components evolve in a highly correlated manner, whereas others exhibit low (or no) phylogenetic correlation. Correlations were stronger within types of parental activity (brooding, feeding, guarding) than within stages of the breeding cycle (incubation, prefledging care, post-fledging care). A phylogenetically corrected cluster analysis identified two groups of parental care components that evolved in a correlated fashion: one group included incubation and brooding, whereas the other group comprised of the remaining components. The two groups of components provide working hypotheses for follow-up studies to test the underlying genetic, developmental and ecological co-evolutionary mechanism between male and female care. Furthermore, the components within each group are expected to respond consistently to different ambient and social environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Székely
- Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
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50
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de Souza MA, Centenaro LA, Menegotto PR, Henriques TP, Bonini J, Achaval M, Lucion AB. Prenatal stress produces social behavior deficits and alters the number of oxytocin and vasopressin neurons in adult rats. Neurochem Res 2013; 38:1479-89. [PMID: 23624943 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-013-1049-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2013] [Revised: 03/31/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated the long-lasting effects of prenatal repeated restraint stress on social behavior and anxiety, as well as its repercussions on oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP)-positive neurons of the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei from stressed pups in adulthood. Female Wistar rats were exposed to restraint stress in the last 7 days of pregnancy. At birth, pups were cross-fostered and assigned to the following groups: prenatally non-stressed offspring raised by prenatally non-stressed mothers (NS:NS), prenatally non-stressed offspring raised by prenatally stressed mothers (S:NS), prenatally stressed offspring raised by prenatally non-stressed mothers (NS:S), prenatally stressed offspring raised by prenatally stressed mothers (S:S). As adults, male prenatally stressed offspring raised both by stressed mothers (S:S group) and non-stressed ones (NS:S group) showed impaired social memory and interaction. In addition, when both adverse conditions coexisted (S:S group), increased anxiety-like behavior and aggressiveness was observed in association with a decrease in the number of OT-positive magnocellular neurons, VP-positive magnocellular and parvocellular neurons of the PVN. The NS:S group exhibited a reduction in the amount of VP-positive magnocellular neurons compared to the S:NS. Thus, the social behavior deficits observed in the S:S and NS:S groups may be only partially associated with these alterations to the peptidergic systems. No changes were shown in the OT and VP cellular composition of the SON nucleus. Nevertheless, it is clear that a special attention should be given to the gestational period, since stressful events during this time may be related to the emergence of behavioral impairments in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Alves de Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90050-170, Brazil.
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